The present disclosure relates to software applications and, in certain examples, to systems and methods for improving the initialization of software applications on client devices.
Software applications that rely on data from a server system or a content delivery network (CDN) typically suffer from long start-up times before being able to present a user with a functional user interface. In general, such applications can be used only after all the required metadata, image data, and other asset data has been downloaded or otherwise gathered. The time required to download such data for some applications can be 30 seconds, 60 seconds, or longer. This can frustrate users and result in lost opportunities for software application providers.
Many software applications download start-up data from CDNs. A CDN is typically a large system of servers or nodes distributed around the world that provide content and other data to client devices through a network connection (e.g., the Internet). In general, CDNs allow content to be distributed to end users quickly and reliably, without requiring content developers or providers to make significant investments in new hardware or infrastructure.